Kataeb Leader Samy Gemayel on Tuesday met with United Nations Coordinator in Lebanon Joanna Wronecka with talks featuring high on the latest developments namely the Syrian presence.

“We welcomed United Nations Coordinator in Lebanon and expressed our concerns about the way the international community deals with Lebanon regarding the file of the Syrian presence in Lebanon,” Gemayel said after the meeting.

“We say “presence” because we can no longer talk about asylum or displacement, but about economic migration. Lebanon received more than one million and 800 thousand Syrian refugees in 2011 and treated them in the best way compared to the rest of the other countries that, while giving us lessons in human rights, closed their borders,” he said.

“The countries that are judging us regarding this issue, especially the most developed countries in the field of human rights, such as Denmark and Sweden, already deported their refugees,” he stressed.

“What Lebanon is exposed to has become completely different from what it was in the past, and part of this conversation is directed at the international community, especially the European Union, which greatly supports the UNHCR policy in Lebanon,” he emphasized.

“This is a new phase as the hostilities in Syria have ended,” he noted.

Gemayel said that Lebanon has become the third largest overcrowded country in the world without infrastructure.

“This situation cannot persist. Before the displacement crisis, Lebanon was ranked 19th among the most populous countries. Today, Lebanon has become a bankrupt country with no infrastructure, no electricity and no water,” he went on saying.

“It is time for us to change the way we deal with this issue and for the international community to change its policy towards Lebanon,” he affirmed.

Gemayel called on Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati and the leaders of the security services to implement labor law, which prohibits competition with Lebanese citizens.

"The Syrian refugee receives assistance in dollars from most non-governmental organizations (NGOs), which allows him to accept half a salary, thus taking the place of Lebanese in the labor market," he stated.

In a bid to avoid any clashes between the Lebanese and the refugees and its exploitation in the future, he called on the State and the international community to play their role.  

The Kataeb Leader considered that municipalities can exercise their powers and preserve the best interest with regard to security and residence, calling them upon to take measures to protect the residents by all available means.

As for the law regulating entry into Lebanon and residency, he said: “Article 17 stipulates that “Expulsion of an alien from Lebanon shall be carried out by virtue of a decision from the Director of the General Security when the alien’s presence is considered a threat to public security.” As for article 32, it stipulates that “Shall be under penalty of a term of imprisonment of between one and three months, or of a fine of LL 100 to 500 of expulsion from Lebanon:

-Any alien who shall have entered Lebanon without complying with the provisions of article 6 of the present law.

-Any alien who shall have made a false declaration designed to conceal his true identity or who may have used forged identity papers.

In all such cases, the Court shall be authorized to grand the contravener the benefit of reprieve (from execution) nor sentence him to a term of imprisonment of under one month.”

Regarding the cessation of refugee status, he said: “It should be applied on everyone who enters surreptitiously into Lebanon, and everyone who enters and exits from Lebanon. Security services have the power to deport anyone who commits a crime or violates the law,” he affirmed.

According to Gemayel, Lebanon faces several problems, including the problem of Hezbollah's dominance over decision-making, the issue of rebuilding institutions and implementing economic reforms, and structural problems that need to be addressed.  

He concluded by stressing that the State has all the legal arsenal to carry out its work and that the international community has all the arsenal of arguments to change its policy on this issue and encourage the voluntary return to Syria, which is its duty.

The meeting was attended by Kataeb's Head of Public Policy and Legislation Lara Saade, the party’s Foreign Affairs Head Dr. Michel Abi Abdallah as well as the party’s International Affairs Secretary Marwan Abdallah and Kataeb’s Head of Health and Social Council Dr. Bernard Gerbaka.